Crushing & Screening Tip #36 - Feeder buildup

Feeder build-up caused by clay and moisture is difficult to combat.

There are some options that will help;

• minimise wetting feed material
• use misters or foam that minimise additional water
• prescreen before crusher if possible using a scalping / reclaimer screen
• use some bigger rocks to clean it up
• feed slower from excavator or loader
• feed to back of feeder to give grizzly time to remove fines
• wait till the first bucket starts to clear the grizzly before feeding next bucket
• make sure crusher is level or slightly downhill - feeding uphill will increase the problem

There are some things that won't help and only increase the problem;

• made worse by overloading the feeder
• using lots of water in feed material from water truck or sprinklers
• not mixing wet material with dry material to get a homogenous blend
• crusher feeding uphill due to pad level or vibration during operation causing the crusher to settle
• using a loader to side feed the hopper
• putting the next bucket in before the last one is starting to clear / reduce in volume on the feeder
• feeding towards front of hopper with excavator